CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Saying he is "very sorry" for the killing of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, the Lutheran bishop in Jerusalem said he is deeply concerned about where current hostilities in the Middle East will lead.
"Where will this take us?" asked the Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (and Palestine), in a telephone interview Dec. 4. "This will not take us anywhere. There will be more hate, more retaliation, more revenge."
Younan leads a 2,000-member Lutheran church consisting of six congregations -- five in the West Bank, one in Jordan. He said most Palestinian people are unable to travel to work because the Israeli military has blocked or severely limited access through key checkpoints. In Ramallah, the Lutheran School of Hope, part of the Lutheran Church of Hope, has been closed because of shelling, Younan said.
People can get to Bethlehem, an area under Palestinian control,a but getting out is "a nightmare," Younan said. Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church is in Bethlehem.
Younan made the comments amid recent bombings and heightened military action. Two suicide bombings in Jerusalem, plus two bus bombings in Haifa in recent days left 25 Israelis dead and scores of people injured.
The Israeli government blamed Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestinian Authority, for not stopping suicide bombings, and the Bush Administration said Israel has the right to defend itself against such attacks.
In response to the bombings, Israeli Defense Forces destroyed helicopters used by Arafat, and damaged his compound in Gaza City. At least three Palestinians were killed. On Dec. 4 Israeli war planes and helicopters struck five targets in Gaza and the West Bank, including a building next to where Arafat was meeting with aides.
Many Palestinian people are angry with the U.S. government for giving Israel "the green light" to respond with military action, Younan said. The U.S. government should be an "honest broker" in seeking peace in the region, he said.
"Don't punish us as a nation because of what a handful of people did," Younan said. "Retaliation and counter-retaliation takes us nowhere. We expected Mr. Bush to tell both sides to stop it immediately."
Younan also disagreed with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's contention that Israel is defending itself in the same way the United States is acting in Afghanistan. "This is something different," he said.
The real issue is Israel's occupation of Palestinian areas within the country, Younan said. The occupation is the source of Palestinian anger and must end, he added.
Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) concerned about the situation should contact government officials and continue to participate in an ecumenical prayer vigil the ELCA started one year ago, Younan said.
Younan said the ultimate goal must be to get all parties to the negotiating table, where they can "build confidence in each other," he added.
In Washington, D.C., the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), condemned suicide bombings in Israel Dec. 1-2, and called for a halt in the cycle of violence. LOGA is the ELCA's federal public policy office in Washington, D.C. Churches for Middle East Peace, a Washington-based coalition of churches which includes the ELCA, also condemned the suicide bombings.
"LOGA joins its partners in Churches for Middle East Peace in mourning the loss of life in these horrendous attacks, and stresses the need for international observers in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel," said the Rev. Mark B. Brown, LOGA's assistant director for international public policy ministry.
The 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly called for an end to suicide bombings, urged international protection for Palestinian people in Israeli-occupied territories and acknowledged the "pain and suffering" of all involved in Middle East tensions.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
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